The Daughter of a Madman
by SKGB39
Summary: Akechi Gracia is rescued from Azuchi Castle and the clutches of the Devil King Oda Nobunaga. However, when she learns of her father's defeat at Honnoji she realizes she has nowhere to go. That is until she is invited to stay in Kai by the Tiger cub Sanada Yukimura. Yukimura x Gracia (OC) fic; future lemons will cause rating to change, but rated T for now due to violence.
1. Chapter 1: Guilty by Blood

**The Daughter of a Madman**

_**A/N: The story starts off from episode 11 of season 1 of the anime. Nobunaga has foreseen Mitsuhide's betrayal and has labeled Gracia a traitor's daughter. He then takes her hostage and locks her away to be later executed along with Kasuga. The story will follow the anime plot line directly at some points.  
**_

_**Background info on Gracia: Gracia is an argued translation of the Christian name of Mitsuhide's 3**__**rd**__** daughter Akechi Tama. She is famous for refusing to be taken hostage by Mitsunari before the battle of Sekigahara. She stayed true to her religious faith, opting to be killed by a soldier rather than committing suicide.**_

_**More A/N: Since Sengoku Basara is as historically inaccurate as it gets, I will just follow along and call Tama Gracia despite her getting that name later in her life (she's 17 in this story.) Also I will be making a softer side for Mitsuhide as well as making him a Christian. :D  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sengoku Basara. The only thing I own is how Gracia looks and acts in this story.**_

_**Enough rambling from me, let's get started shall we!**_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Guilty by blood.**

A young girl sat on her knees in the cell, holding her hands together as she prayed to Christ. She was a prisoner of the Devil King Oda Nobunaga, locked up for being the daughter of the traitor Akechi Mitsuhide. Her sisters were nuns in a faraway place, so they were safe thankfully. She wasn't alone now however, there was another woman locked in the cell with her, Kasuga, the ninja guard of Uesugi Kenshin. According to the conversations the two had, Kasuga had been captured by Nōhime while she was trying to assassinate Oda Nobunaga alone.

The young girl knew Lady Nōhime very well. She once took part in a few of Nobunaga's schemes along with his wife. The one she remembers most is when she and Lady Nō were to travel to a strange land to pose as a mother and daughter who were affected by war and to promise themselves as brides to the lord of land. They were then to kill him, burn the estate, and return to the Oda. She was terrified at first, but was convinced by her father that what she was doing was right in the eyes of the Lord and that she will always be forgiven.

The young girl jumped up frightened when the guard came in and started to tie Kasuga with rope. She wanted to stop him, but she didn't want to be punished for her actions. When the guard left out, Kasuga immediately began whispering to her.

"Listen Gracia, as soon as I get out of here I'll come back with help to get you."

The young girl Gracia gave a sheepish nod in reply. And with that, the ceiling above them opened and the floor Kasuga was placed on began moving upwards towards it. Gracia clamped her eyes closed and resumed praying for Kasuga to escape as safely as she claims she will.

As the floor became the new ceiling Gracia remained in a quiet prayer. She knew the Devil King is extremely merciless and won't hesitate to harm anyone, not even his sister Ichi, who he has been tormenting after her husband's death.

Gracia could hear voices coming from above her, so she focused on them so she could hear clearly.

"O-Ichi, I kept her alive for you."

'That must be Lady Nō's voice.' Gracia thought silently to herself.

Ichi must be in the room above along with The Devil King and his wife, but Gracia could only assume that since she can't hear her voice.

"If you intend to serve the Oda… execute this woman."

Gracia's pink eyes widened at those last few words, she couldn't believe that Nō could be so cold.

It got extremely quiet up there for a moment…

"Do you not wish to be of use to your elder brother? To simply be dependent on her husband and wait for the war to end is not what a woman's duties consist of."

"Now, show your resolve… if you cannot do this."

Momentary silence….

"Then I have your answer…"

Gracia felt a cold chill pass through her whole body as she heard a gun being cocked. She winced and clamped her eyes shut again… waiting for the sound of gunfire to come.

But it never did, instead the sound of the wall being broken came through Gracia's ears. She instinctively looked to the small window in the cell and sure enough, Kasuga was what she seen jumping away. She appeared to be carrying Ichi as well.

"Thank goodness she got away…" Gracia said happily to herself.

"Nō!" The sound of the Devil King's voice caused Gracia to literally jump out of fright.

"Do not stain my castle walls with the blood of fools."

Gracia almost couldn't believe it. He was letting them go! She sighed in relief as she sat back down on the brick attached to the wall they called a bed.

"Come back soon…" Gracia said to herself.

She turned her head to face the window and she could've sworn she'd just seen Kasuga flying through the air. She didn't seem to have Ichi with her anymore, though.

* * *

Meanwhile at Honnoji….

"Lord Masamune!" Kojuro called out as he came running towards his lord and the Tiger cub of Kai.

"So you've come, Kojuro." The One-eyed Dragon of Oshu replied upon seeing his Right-eye running towards him.

"The Devil King is at Mount Azuchi. A trusted ninja from Echigo has informed us."

Kojuro then turned his attention to Akechi Mitsuhide, Gracia's father.

"From a great fortress built atop a mountain blanketed by ominous clouds he is preparing to put his finishing touches on his world under warrior rule."

"There will never be another opportunity like this. Please lead the army waiting outside to the Devil King! You too, Sanada Yukimura."

Yukimura, the Tiger cub of Kai, was quick to interject Kojuro's proposal.

"But I must settle things with this man!"

He was of course, talking about Akechi Mitsuhide, whose eyes still remained covered by his snow white hair as he stared down to the floor.

"Leave this to me! Don't let your personal grievances make you forget the greater cause!"

Kojuro is talking about Yukimura's lord Takeda Shingen, the Tiger of Kai. Who was defeated by Mitsuhide prior to this conflict and is out of commission, presumed dead.

"What you swore to do for the Tiger of Kai wasn't supposed to be some petty act of revenge!"

Yukimura just looked down to the floor, slightly disappointed that he cannot avenge his lord personally. However he knew that Kojuro was right, taking down the Devil King is top priority.

"Understood." Yukimura finally says.

"Okay," Masamune said as he sheathed his sword, "We'll leave this to you Kojuro."

"We entrust this to you, Master Katakura!" Yukimura says. The two turn to walk off, but Kojuro speaks to stop them.

"One more thing my lord," He says.

"What is it, Kojuro?" Masamune replies.

"The ninja has also informed me about a prisoner being held there. A young girl by the name of Gracia. She has blonde hair and pink eyes."

Hearing his daughter's name is more than enough to draw a reaction out of Mitsuhide.

"Gracia? My youngest daughter is being held prisoner by Lord Nobunaga!?" He looks up; his eyes are widened with shock and concern.

"Daughter!?" Yukimura and Kojuro say in unison.

"Alright, we'll see to it she gets rescued safely." Masamune says calmly before walking out of the burning building, signaling Yukimura to follow.

"I thank you…" Mitsuhide utters softly before watching the two young men leave. It was only him and Kojuro left now. Kojuro's eyes snap back to Akechi Mitsuhide as he draws his sword.

"So the construction of Azuchi has been completed and my youngest daughter is there. Wait for me, Gracia… I'll be there to help you."

"Too bad," Kojuro retorts, "You're not wanted there. As much as it pains me to separate a father from his child, you must fall here!"

And with that, the battle between the two began.

* * *

Back in Azuchi…

That sound of gunfire snapped Gracia out of her daydream. The sound of explosions going off in outside the castle walls soon followed. She just sat there, oblivious to the massive army outside that was contemplating on how to get inside of the castle.

"I wonder what's going on. Maybe Kasuga is back with the help she needs to rescue me!" Gracia said happily aloud.

She looks outside the window only to see three giant cannonballs flying towards the castle. She lets out a surprised scream.

"Isn't THAT a little excessive?"

The sound of the door opening almost scares her soul away, expecting to see a guard. However, it was Ichi who opened the door.

"Is it time for my execution, Lady O-Ichi?" Gracia asks glumly. Ichi shook her head in reply.

"No, Ichi is letting you out to escape. Hurry and run." The raven haired sister of the Devil King says.

"What about you?" Gracia asks, "You should leave too."

Ichi shakes her head again, "I have a promise to keep to my lord Nagamasa; I cannot leave."

Gracia looks down sadly before looking up to Ichi and giving an understanding nod.

"I'll pray for your safety, Lady O-Ichi."

With that, Gracia dashes past Ichi and begins to make her way out of the castle. However she got lost numerous times.

* * *

_**Finally I got this done! Idk why I can't finish any stories and keep jumping from fandom to fandom… maybe it's a curse. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Fall of the Devil King

**Chapter 2: The Devil King Falls**

_**A/N: I originally had this and chapter 1 meshed together into one big chapter, but I felt that would be too long so I cropped it into 2. :D Anyway, enjoy!**_

* * *

"This castle is so confusing!" Gracia shouts angrily whilst still running. After turning a corner she trips over something and falls flat on her face.

"Ow, what on earth was right there?" She got up and turned to see Lady Nōhime's body lying on the floor. She gasped and covered her mouth; she then closed her eyes and put her hands together for a short prayer.

"Rest in peace… milady." Gracia says softly. Her eye catches the gun the now dead wife of the Devil King was holding. She thought about taking it for protection from the guards that are sure to follow her.

"No, I must not steal… it is wrong."

The sounds of soldiers approaching however made her change her mind and take the gun right out of the dead woman's hand.

"I'm sorry!" She shouts as she begins running away from the sounds of soldiers.

She keeps running until she reaches a balcony. From there she sees the chaos that has begun to ensue on the outside. It frightened her, but it was better than being stuck with the Devil King.

She hopped over the balcony onto the rooftop that was below it. She began to run on across the roof until a cannonball hit the building; the explosion caused her to go flying off into the air towards the ground. It was still so high up, she was certain she'd die. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact of the ground to come, however it never did.

She opened her eyes and noticed she wasn't moving, yet still suspended in midair. She looked up and saw that she was being held by a young man with a red jacket on which, much to Gracia's embarrassment, exposed his chest and abs in which she was resting on.

"You must be Lady Gracia?" He asked her with a bright smile.

Gracia only gave a nod in reply. She hadn't noticed that her face had flushed.

"Um, are you okay?" Yukimura started, "You're face is red Lady Gracia."

"I'm fine, thank you for saving me." Gracia answered.

"Yo, Sanada Yukimura!" A raspy voice called out. The pair turned to see that it was the One-eyed Dragon of Oshu Date Masamune.

"Lord Masamune!" Yukimura shouted happily, "I found Lady Gracia."

The Lord of Oshu eyed the girl for a second before talking to Yukimura.

"Well that's great you saved the girl and all, but we have a Devil King to take down."

Yukimura nodded and placed Gracia on her feet. "You should find somewhere safe milady."

Date approached Yukimura and they gave each other a nod before leaping away towards the Devil King. Gracia was surprised to see human beings literally flying through the air like that, but given the many things she's seen before she didn't let it bother her.

"Thank you!" She shouts to the two men. She then turns to see the fighting that has broken out in the castle yards.

"There she is! It's the daughter of the traitor Akechi Mitsuhide!" She turned to see three guards with their spears drawn and running right at her.

"Stay away from me!" Gracia shouted as she aimed the pistol she carried. Her hands were shaking terribly and her aim was all over the place, but she knew how to shoot. She pulled the trigger and out came the bullet. It went flying and struck one of the men straight in the head.

Gracia was horrified at what she'd just done. Sure she's killed before, but that was because her father told her it was okay. She's never killed anyone without being told she'll be forgiven.

"Get her!" Another guard said as he and the last remaining one charged at her again.

"Dear Lord, please forgive me for what I am about to do…" Gracia whispers as she pulls the trigger twice, each bullet striking and killing a guard.

Gracia looks at the corpses she created before whispering to herself, "I have to find a way out of here…"

She finds a rooftop that is low enough for her to get to the ground safely, but she doesn't really want to get involved in the chaos.

It was then all the windows in the castle walls opened up around her. Behind them were people who were carrying rifles. They opened fire with no target in particular, but Gracia just happened to be in the line of fire.

The soldiers below tried to shield themselves from the hail of bullets, but they were struck down. Even Nobunaga's own soldiers were slain by the bullet storm.

Gracia watched sadly as the men fell one by one, completely oblivious to the bullet that was flying dead at her. The next thing she knew she was flying again. She looked and saw she was being held by a ninja wearing green camouflage.

"You must be Gracia, Kasuga told me about you." He said as he set down. The news brings a smile to Gracia's face.

"Ah, I'm so glad she got away safely! I just wish Lady O-Ichi decided to go with her." She said in reply.

"O-Ichi as in the Devil King's younger sister? You mean she's still here?" The ninja asked.

"Yes, she's the one who let me free, but she decided against leaving with me." Gracia answers.

"Well where could she be?"

"I don't know…"

The sound of a loud gunshot rang in the air. Gracia felt a sharp pain in her chest, despite not being shot.

At the top of the castle, Nobunaga had just shot his sister Ichi in the head with his double-barrel shotgun. Yukimura and Masamune had arrived a second too late. They only stared in shock as Ichi fell to the ground.

The ninja saw Gracia clenching her chest and inquired her as to what was wrong.

"I have no idea, but that gunshot felt terribly close to home." Gracia replied.

It wasn't too long after that that Nobunaga knocked Masamune through the wall and onto the rooftop below. Gracia gasped in horror as she saw the Devil King approach him and lift him up in a devastating choke hold. Yukimura appeared and tried to free Masamune, but he couldn't reach him due to Nobunaga's dead aim with his trusty shotgun.

"We- we've got to help them!" Gracia said assertively at the ninja. He didn't move, but she did.

"Wait!" He shouted, causing Gracia to stop.

Gracia, the ninja, and pretty much everyone in the castle looked up towards the sky. All they could see was a purple flame combing towards the earth. As it got closer, it became more clear as to who it was.

"Master Tadakatsu!" Someone had shouted out. Gracia was completely surprised.

"Honda Tadakatsu is a giant robot!?" She shouted aloud. She has heard of Honda Tadakatsu, but she never imagined he'd be a futuristic being.

'I really need to get out more…' she thought in the back of her mind.

No one gave her a reply; everyone only watched as Tadakatsu landed by Yukimura's side.

Tadakatsu charged straight at the Devil King, ready to end him here. Nobunaga in response tossed Masamune aside and began to open fire on Tadakatsu. Much to Gracia's shock, the bullets seemed to be pushing Tadakatsu back.

"He's losing?" Gracia asked sadly to no one in particular. She turned to see that the ninja who had saved her a moment ago had left.

Gracia ignored it and looked on as Tadakatsu flew back into the air and charge Nobunaga with his drill arm. When he met the ground Gracia was certain Tadakatsu had hit him, but she was wrong.

"He dodged it?" She said aloud as the Devil was standing right under the massive Honda Tadakatsu with his gun pointed right at his core.

Another loud gunshot went off and Gracia stared as Tadakatsu's massive body exploded. A large glow of yellow and orange lingered in the air where Tadakatsu once was.

When it went away, the Devil King was still standing at the top of the castle, he looked unscathed.

'There's no way he should still be alive!' Gracia thought angrily to herself.

A flash of green caused Gracia to shift her eyes to her left. She saw the ninja who had saved her from taking a bullet holding a seemingly unconscious Ichi.

"Lady O-Ichi!" Gracia cried out as she ran over to them. Gracia frantically tried to check her vitals brought her eyes to the ninja, but he only shook his head at her. Gracia tried to hold back a sob as she prayed for Ichi.

"I never even said thank you…" Gracia admitted when she was finished.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." The ninja assured her, "If you got away safely then her final act of saving you is not in vain."

Gracia was still saddened by Ichi's death, but the ninja was right, she had to stay strong. The next thing she knew a bunch of different colored lights gathered together to form a beautiful ring of rainbow.

"The land is coming together…" Gracia started.

"…. To eliminate this common threat." The ninja finished.

"It's so beautiful…" Gracia remarked as she stared astonished at the aurora of the land that was formed.

"We don't have much time to admire right now, princess." The ninja said as Oda ninja began to surround them.

The ninja and Gracia stood back to back as they got ready to fight.

"Will you be fine by yourself?" The ninja asked Gracia, uncertain of whether or not she can take care of herself.

"Yes." Gracia said flatly.

"These are ninja, not regular samurai. Bullets might not work." He warned her.

"I'll be fine." Gracia reassured him.

Before the ninja could say anything more the Oda ninja struck. The ninja who's been protecting Gracia went into the crowd. Screams of fallen men were heard shortly afterwards.

Gracia for her part began firing into the crowd. Much like she was warned, her bullets were either deflected or dodged. The bunch of ninja leaped upward and was ready to pounce on Gracia. Before they reached her however, she flipped the gun in her hand so that the butt of the gun was facing the group and prepared for them to come. When they were close enough, she swung as hard as she could as if she was swinging a baseball bat.

"Don't mess with me!" She shouted angrily as her swing connected with the ninja and sent all of them flying away.

She turned back to see that the friendly ninja and Ichi's body had disappeared.

'Goodness he's fast.' Gracia pouted like a child when she noticed she was alone again.

She looked up and saw that Yukimura and Masamune were launched high up into the air by an attack from the Devil King. She gasped as she thought it was all over…

Then she saw the aura of everyone gathering up again and moving towards the two young men. Gracia put her hands together on her chest, covering the crest on her necklace that her father gave her. She began to illuminate an astonishing golden light.

"Dear Lord, please give these men your divine power to purge the Devil King." She chanted. Her prayer was answered by a ray of light that shot towards the sky along with the others when she separated her hands.

Gracia waited for the two men to return back to the fight. Her eyes widened with amazement as a streak of red and blue broke through the clouds and met with the Devil King.

Yukimura and Masamune roared loudly as they tried to best Oda Nobunaga in a deadlock. It seemed to last forever until they finally broke through and struck the Devil King right in that evil heart of his. The energy given by everyone and the Holy energy given by Gracia was more than enough to eradicate the Devil King once and for all.

The resulting explosion from the deadlock being broken shocked Gracia, for she didn't know who had won.

When the dust settled and the clouds dissipated, Gracia and everyone in the entire castle grounds stared at the top of the castle to await the victor to emerge.

When Yukimura and Date stood up from the debris they were met an eruption of cheering.

"I'm so glad it's over…" Gracia said as she let out an exasperated sigh.

Gracia turned to face behind her as she felt a presence. It was the ninja who had left her behind earlier.

"Do you need some help off the roof, milady?" He asked her.

"Sure! Thank you… um…" Gracia's voice trailed off as she didn't know the ninja's name.

"Sarutobi Sasuke of the Sanada Ninja Core at your service." He said coolly. Gracia's eyes widen and she gasps in surprise as he says that.

"You're Sasuke! Kasuga talked about you while we were locked up together." She says.

"Really now, well what did she say?" Sasuke says with a slight smile on his face.

"That you're one of the biggest perverts she's ever met!" Gracia replies happily while tilting her head in an innocent manner. She doesn't know what a pervert is; if she did she certainly wouldn't go around calling people that in a happy tone.

"What's wrong? You look saddened by what I just said…" Gracia says to Sasuke, who hung his head in shame to temporarily mope about Kasuga's remarks.

"Oh, it's nothing." He says back to her, "Let's get off this roof and meet up with everyone else." He adds while extending his hand to Gracia, who takes it and jumps off the roof with him.

When they meet the ground Gracia let her hand free from Sasuke's and they walked together to join the crowd in waiting for Masamune and Yukimura to get down from the top of the castle. When they two finally get to the ground they are met with another roar of cheering.

Gracia looked around and took notes of the many faces to who she's heard of from inside her home. Maeda Keiji, Chosokabe Motochika, Mori Motonari, even the One-eyed Dragon's right eye was amongst the crowd, who started to walk towards looking as if he had something to say.

"Lady Gracia…" Kojuro started, his voice and expression rather stoic, "What do you intend to do now?"

Gracia was bewildered by his question, but she answered nonetheless, "Well first things first I have to find my father." She said calmly. Kojuro slightly lowered his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Gracia asked the much older man as she saw his face change.

"I'm afraid you'll have no luck doing that..." He says solemnly.

"What do you mean?" Gracia says a little loudly, drawing attention from a few people who were standing near them.

"Akechi Mitsuhide…" Kojuro looked away from Gracia before he finished, "… is dead." He finishes flatly. Gracia's eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly as his words repeated inside her head.

"What do you mean my father's dead!?" Gracia shouts as a tear escapes her eye, drawing even more attention from the crowd.

"He was killed by a trap that was set in anticipation of his betrayal at Honnoji." Kojuro says, he leaves out the fact that he was the one who left Mitsuhide there to die.

"Liar! My father wouldn't fall for a simple trick! Someone would have to kill him personally!" Gracia retorts as more tears fall.

"It's the truth… I'm sorry." Kojuro says in reply to the angry child.

Gracia lowers her head as a sob escapes her lips.

"Father…" She says silently to herself…

* * *

Gracia marched with the soldiers on foot as they went to their homelands. That was until a hand appeared before her. Gracia looked and saw that it belonged to Sanada Yukimura.

"It's not right to keep a lady walking for so long, would you mind riding with me on my horse?" He smiles warmly and speaks gently to her.

Gracia nodded and took the Tiger cub of Kai's hand. He pulled her onto the horse and she sat behind him. She grabbed hold of him and rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them had any idea that these actions were only performed by people who were intimate with each other. Yet many people around them did and they begun to murmur amongst themselves.

The pair rode in silence until Yukimura broke it, "So Lady Gracia, where do you plan on going?" He asks.

"I don't really have anywhere to go now that my father is gone…" She admits sadly to him.

"Well you could stay with Lord Shingen and me in Kai." He says to her happily. Gracia was certainly surprised by his kindness.

"Really?" She replied.

"Sure! Even though your father and my Lordship weren't on the best of terms you're welcome there." He assures her.

"Thank you." Gracia says, her mood slightly lifted by the young man as they made their way back to the Land of Kai.

* * *

_**Goodness, poor Gracia. Having to find out her father had died after the Devil King was slain and for O-Ichi to die before she got to thank her. On a side-note using Yukimura's and Gracia's 'innocence' is going to be fun in the later chapters when I get to the lemons. *Evil laughter* I hope you enjoyed reading this and hope to update soon! ^_^ **_


	3. Chapter 3: Momentary Peace

_**Chapter 3: **__**Momentary Peace.**_

_**A/N: A character bio for Gracia in Sengoku Basara. **_

_**Akechi Gracia is the third and youngest daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide cares Gracia deeply and does not like to see her hurt by anyone, so he kept her sheltered away from the war and chaos that plagued the land and raised her to be a peaceful Christian. However that never gave Gracia full protection from Mitsuhide's fears as Oda Nobunaga uses Gracia to carry out some of his dastardly deeds for him, effectively forcing Mitsuhide to obey his commands. Gracia always felt like she was doing the things that were against what she was taught, but Mitsuhide always assured her that she wasn't wrong in the eyes of the Lord. For her 13**__**th**__** birthday, Mitsuhide had given Gracia a pendent that is shaped like an pendant grants her protection from the attacks of people who are made of pure evil, like Oda Nobunaga.  
**_

_**In battle, Gracia utilizes this pendant to draw Holy energy from the heavens and even the Lord himself. Allowing her to aid others or unless devastating attacks on her opponents. However, she can't use this at the tip of a hat. She has to pray before she can receive and use this energy, so she has to rely on guerilla tactics until she can.**_

_**Alright enough chit-chat, let's continue, shall we? **_

Gracia, Yukimura, and Sasuke arrived at the Takeda manor in Kai. The One-eyed Dragon of Oshu and his Right eye joined them since Yukimura was worried about the former's wounds being re-opened.

"Here we are, Lady Gracia." Yukimura calls to the girl on his back, but he doesn't receive a response. He turns to see that she's asleep.

"Lady Gracia? What's wrong?" Yukimura asks frantically as he begins to shake the unconscious body, but is dealt a swift smack on his head by Masamune.

"Can it you moron she's just sleeping." The Dragon lashes out, keeping his voice low enough so he won't wake Gracia.

"Well it has been a long day, so we all deserve a little shut eye." Kojuro says.

"Okay, but Lord Masamune's wounds should be looked at first." Yukimura says as he lifts Gracia bridal style and begins carrying her to the estate so he could find a guest futon for her.

"Damn kid's just too nice for his own good…" Masamune sighs as he jumps off his horse. When he does he doubles over in pain, causing a worried Kojuro to catch him.

"Given your condition I say his concern is well justified." His retainer retorts.

"Whatever." The One-eyed Dragon huffs as Kojuro aids him to the manor to have his wounds looked at.

In the manor Sasuke was helping Yukimura get out the futon for Gracia in the room across from Yukimura's.

"Alright, this should be good." Sasuke assures his master, who places Gracia into the futon.

"Master Sanada, are you sure it'll be alright keeping her here? Technically she is an enemy…" The ninja warns.

"It's fine," Yukimura says firmly, "besides what harm can she do?"

"If you say so…" Sasuke resigns before trying to go out again.

"Sasuke where are you going," Yukimura inquires, "it's getting late and you've been in battle all day. I think you deserve a rest."

"I appreciate your concern Master Sanada, but who will keep guard if I'm asleep?" Sasuke argues.

"You've done enough for today Sasuke, please rest." Yukimura retorts lowly as to not wake Gracia, little did he know she was awake the whole time they were talking.

'How nice of him…' She thought silently to herself. She's never seen a master treat the people who serve them so nicely before. She's been with Nobunaga for as long as she can remember and he treated his underlings rather harshly, so this was a pleasant surprise for her.

Yukimura looked at Gracia, who closed her eyes quickly to fake sleep, before walking out of the room and closing the door. He then went to the room where Shingen was lying and slowly entered. He kneeled beside his master and bowed in respect before speaking.

"Your Lordship we've done it, we've defeated the Devil King Oda Nobunaga." He announces proudly, but keeping his voice low as to not disturb everyone.

"The whole land banded together, and with the effort of everyone we were able to best the Devil King." He continues.

Gracia had wandered outside of her room and began to stroll around the manor. She eventually found herself off of the manor grounds and staring at a beautiful garden of flowers.

"It's so pretty…" She remarked. She'd been so used to the dull castles her father and Nobunaga had kept her in; she never really had the opportunity to admire the outside scenery like this.

"Oh, I almost forgot…" She said to herself before picking four flowers, one with red petals, one with orange petals, one with pink petals, and one sunflower.

She wandered around a little more until she found a secluded tree before lying each of the flowers down and kneeled beside them. She then began to pray.

"Please rest in peace… may you all be forgiven for whatever sins you may have committed here on Earth and be allowed into Heaven…" She says, using a bit of Holy energy to replant the flowers into the soil.

"Lady Gracia what are you doing out at this late?" A voice called. Gracia turned to see that it was Sanada Yukimura.

Gracia jumped out of surprise before turning to face the Tiger cub of Kai.

"I'm sorry Lord Yukimura. I was just…" Her voice trails off as he walks closer.

"Just Yukimura is fine." He says reassuringly before he stops to look at the flowers she replanted.

"These flowers weren't here before," Yukimura says in amazement, "How did you do that?" He asks Gracia.

Gracia's face slightly flushes before she answers, "They're my way of paying respect to the fallen." She says. Yukimura sits down beside her and begins to listen.

"What you were saying before, about forgiveness?" Yukimura asks, looking from Gracia to the flowers.

"These flowers each represent people who were close to me that were lost today." She points to the red one, "Lord Nobunaga," then to the orange, "Lady Nōhime," then to the pink, "Lady O-Ichi," and finally to the sunflower, "and my father…"

"You mean you can find yourself to forgive Lord Nobunaga and his wife, even after all they've done to you and your father?" Yukimura asks with confusion evident in his voice.

"Yes, it is always important to forgive no matter what one has been done to you." Gracia responds happily.

"Even someone like the Devil King?" Yukimura asks.

Gracia nods in reply, "Even him." She says firmly.

"They may not have been the nicest people in the world, but they still deserve to have someone forgive them so they can receive closure and move on from the space between life and the afterlife." She continues.

Yukimura looks at her astonished as he listens to everything the girl says.

"I could've used your wise words not too long ago, Lady Gracia." Yukimura speaks up, causing Gracia's face to flush again out of embarrassment, for she always thought wise was a word that was only used to describe old people.

"Really," She asks enlightened as she gives a small giggle. She shifted her body to face Yukimura as it was her turn to listen.

"Yes," He says, "as I had said earlier, my Lord Shingen and your father were not on the best of terms…"

"What happened?" Gracia asks, her voice shifting from happiness to absolute calm.

"Your father attacked my lord by surprise while he was trying to aid the villagers in repairing the Dragon King's Dike," Yukimura clenches his fists tightly and lets out a shaky breath.

Gracia gently placed a hand over one of his balled up fists, "Please go on…" She insists.

Yukimura nods slowly and steadies his breathing before continuing, "He… defeated my lord and succeeded in destroying the dirk." He admits.

Gracia looks at the Tiger cub of Kai warmly as he continues.

"As my Lord was rendered bedridden I fell into a complete state of depression," He says, "I constantly stayed moping by his side for what seemed like an eternity."

Yukimura smiles softly as he goes on, "I thought I'd never get over it, however Masamune, Kojuro, Sasuke, and the faithful soldiers of Oshu all reignited the fire in soul!" He announces proudly, drawing a smile out of Gracia.

'So warm…' She remarks in the back of her mind.

"However," Yukimura adds, "while my spirits were lifted the burning need for revenge was not extinguished."

"You mean revenge for Lord Shingen against my father?" Gracia asks.

"Not just for my lord, but for many of the others slain by him like Azai and Lord Tokugawa." Yukimura replies.

"I see," Gracia says, "did you realize your need for revenge wouldn't get you anywhere?" Her voice became tense and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Yukimura's hand.

"I did not until Master Katakura reminded me at Honnoji." Yukimura replies calmly. "And thanks to your kind words Lady Gracia, I firmly believe that vengeance is never the answer." He adds calmly.

"Is there something wrong?" Yukimura asks noticing Gracia gripping his hand rather tightly at this point.

"I want to know what really happened at Honnoji." She admits, "I do not believe my father was killed by a simple trap." She adds firmly.

Yukimura lowers his eyes slightly before replying, "I cannot be absolutely sure of what happened to your father. Lord Masamune and I crossed blades with your father for a short while before Master Katakura interrupted to tell us where the Devil King really was and that you were being held captive. Master Katakura then stayed behind to fight your father while Lord Masamune and I rushed to Azuchi castle."

'So he was holding something back…' Gracia thinks about Katakura as she flashes back to his expression at Azuchi.

"Thank you, Yukimura." Gracia says happily.

"It is I who should be thanking you, Lady Gracia." He replies with a bright smile.

"We should head back now, it is getting awfully late." Yukimura adds while helping Gracia stand up.

Gracia nods and the two walk back to the manor and Yukimura escorts Gracia to her room for the night.

"Thank you again for tonight, Lady Gracia. I appreciate everything you've said to me." Yukimura says sincerely.

Gracia's face flushed again at Yukimura's forwardness, "I appreciate your gratitude." She replies, "Goodnight, Yukimura." She says before going into the room and closing the door. Once inside she slowly climbed into the futon and covered herself with the blanket. She then pulled out her pendant and began fiddling with it.

'Father…' she thinks to herself. Even though her father couldn't raise her as perfectly as he wanted he still did his best and she loves him for it. She's never seen him as the psychotic monster everyone else sees him as, she only sees him as her loving and doting, albeit a bit too overprotective, father.

Her mind flashes to what Yukimura told her about the Honnoji incident and to Kojuro. When Kojuro came into her mind, she felt a little anger rise in her. Not because she wants revenge, but because she wants him to tell her the whole truth.

She said a short prayer before she drifted into a slumber.

**I apologize for this chapter being short! But I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. ^_^ Until next time.**


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